August 20, 2021

The California Biotechnology Foundation is committed to keeping you up to date about COVID-19 testing, treatment and prevention advancements. The following resources track what progress has been made as of August 20, 2021. Notable advancements include:

• A third dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been found to be 86% effective in preventing infection among those ages 60 and up according to a new study.
• COVID-19 booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are set to become available for all U.S. adults beginning next month, according to top U.S. health officials.

​Recent News

• The U.S. Changes Its Tune on Booster Shots
  Bloomberg – August 19, 2021
  Top federal health officials announced that boosters will be available to most fully vaccinated adults starting Sept. 20. The move was made out of an abundance of caution more than pressing need, officials acknowledged at a briefing.
• Third Pfizer Vaccine Dose Shown To Be 86% Effective In Preventing COVID-19 Among The Elderly
  Forbes – August 18, 2021
  A third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been found to be 86% effective in preventing infection among those ages 60 and up, a new study by one of Israel’s top healthcare providers shows, as the Biden Administration prepares to roll out booster shots for Americans next month.
• A Shot Against COVID-19 For Kids Under 12 — Your Questions Answered
  NPR – August 18, 2021
  Researchers have already shared some early findings about how a COVID-19 vaccine may be used in younger children. In the clinical trial for the Pfizer vaccine, the data collected shows that one-third of the adult dose is the optimal range for children younger than 12 and older than 5, says Dr. Flor Muñoz at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, who is running the Pfizer study.
• COVID-19 Booster Shots Will Roll Out In September In The U.S.
  NPR – August 18, 2021
  COVID-19 booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are set to become available for all U.S. adults beginning next month, the country’s top health officials announced. “We know that even highly effective vaccines become less effective over time,” Dr. Vivek Murthy, the surgeon general, said at a White House briefing. “It is now our clinical judgment that the time to lay out a plan for COVID boosters is now.”
• Imperial County has one of California’s best vaccination rates. Here’s why.
  Cal Matters – August 17, 2021
  Imperial County, tucked into the southeast corner of California, learned early on what it meant to be a COVID-19 hotspot. The virus bulldozed through the agricultural county last spring, then again in the winter. About one in six residents has been infected, and 745 people have died. But Imperial County has one statistic that is giving local health officials hope: 86% of its eligible population has been vaccinated with at least one dose. It’s one of the best vaccination rates in California.
• Scientists unlock clues to determining how safe vaccinated people are from COVID-19
  STAT – August 16, 2021
  Imagine peering into people’s blood and being able to pick up a simple marker of exactly how well protected they are from COVID-19. It’s a pressing goal for scientists who are still trying to understand what immunity to COVID looks like, how robustly vaccines protect us over time, and how protected people are who’ve had and recovered from COVID-19.
• The Lambda COVID-19 variant is in California: 5 things to know
  Cal Matters – August 13, 2021
  A new COVID-19 variant — named lambda — has arrived in California. The emerging lambda variant has been popping up in the news as it spreads rapidly throughout South America. In California, at least 152 cases have been reported, the first as early as September 2020, according to state public health officials. Experts say lambda could be more infectious and resistant to vaccines than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. But there is no evidence, at least so far, that it’s as infectious as the delta variant that now dominates California.

Rely on California Biotechnology Foundation to monitor breaking news and provide updates on the latest advancements in COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccines and treatments.

Stay informed on the latest news and trends on the economic and health benefits of this industry by visiting the new CABiotech.org

If you have any questions about informational briefings contact California Biotechnology Foundation Executive Director Patty Cooper at (916)764-2434 or [email protected].